The research pursues the overall goal of identifying objective criteria of kinetic behavior relevant to clinical diagnosis, process, and change. From a coding system of video recorded motor behavior, a dimension of levels of kinetic activity has been defined, viewed as a visible measure of internalization of cognitive structure. The construct of internalization will be documented in three studies: (1) in a developmental study tracing systematic changes in level of kinetic activity with chronological age, such levels are expected to vary with maturation of the organism. An index of kinetic work (pattern of motor effort enlisted in the solution of particular tasks at a given age level) will be derived; (2) in a study of monologue, we shall document the relationship between level of kinetic activity and complexity of language-construction. Through the use of measures of verbal affect, experiencing, and social competence, we shall broaden the construct underlying the dimension of kinetic activity level. The monologue study will be conducted on college subjects (as baseline) in congenitally blind persons, as well as chronic schizophrenic patients; (3) in a study of dialogue behavior, with patients suffering from chronic renal disease and receiving training in hemodialysis, we will trace the level of kinetic activity in two communicative settings: doctor-patient and patient-patient interaction. Units of kinetic behavior will be examined both as a consequence of intervention (varying in information processing load) and as a precursor to the outcome of the transaction. Apart from their theoretical significance, the three studies address themselves respectively to the issues of diagnosis (developmentally and kinetically defined), to the process of experiencing (linguistically and kinetically defined), and to the impact of interventions in doctor-patient relationships (kinetically defined).